Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has nominated the Shin Bet’s current deputy chief, known as R., to succeed current director Nadav Argaman as the next head of the Israel Security Agency as of October 13.
R. beat out the most recent former deputy Shin Bet chief – also known as R. – in the mainly two-way race.
Prior to June, when opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu was prime minister, former senior Shin Bet official and Netanyahu’s National Security Council chief Meir Ben-Shabbat had been the favorite.
But he was never seriously considered for the position by Bennett, due to his closeness with Netanyahu and objections to his candidacy from within portions of the Shin Bet itself.
R. is 55, married, and has three children. He has a university degree in political science and philosophy from Tel Aviv University and a master’s degree in public management from Harvard University.
R. served in the IDF in the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit. Bennett served in the same unit during his IDF service, though he is younger than R., and some believe this influenced the final decision.
In 2011, R. was appointed head of the Shin Bet’s operations. Then, in 2016, he was promoted to be the head of Shin Bet headquarters, the No. 3 post, responsible for force buildup. In 2018, he replaced the other R. as deputy chief of the agency.
R.’s units have been given numerous security awards over the years.
Bennett said, “R. is a daring fighter and an excellent commander. I have no doubt that he will lead the agency to new highs of excellence for the sake of Israel’s security.”
R.’s identity will be made public only after he passes additional stages of vetting and approvals, but the prime minister’s choice for the Shin Bet nearly always goes forward.
Those who supported either of the two deputy chief R.’s all along have noted that almost all recent Shin Bet chiefs served as deputy chiefs beforehand.
In comparing the two R.’s, some sources said the prior deputy chief R. has a bigger worldview when it comes to technology, collection and analysis of intelligence issues.
Some also point out that prior deputy chief R. was involved in major defense situations during the 2014 Gaza war, which current R. has not quite had to match, and which was more substantial than even the 2008-2009 Gaza war, which Ben-Shabbat helped manage.
In addition, some say that prior R. is more beloved and inspires more social cohesion among the rank and file than current R.
But the prior R. might have burned some bridges with an interview he gave to Channel 12’s Uvda following 2014’s Operation Protective Edge. He claimed the agency had warned the IDF and Netanyahu that Hamas was ready to fight, but was ignored.
This won him some enemies – including some who hold him responsible for failing to sound the alarm about Hamas loud enough.
Also, some say the current R. may be more charismatic and more of a standout talent in operations than the prior R.
Furthermore, they say that current R. has filled in some of his inexperience with Shin Bet branches beyond the operations side by serving consecutively in the agency’s No. 2 and No. 3 roles. Both of these roles require wide exposure to all of the agency’s branches.
Still, critics say he lacks Ben-Shabbat’s strategic acumen.
Some believed Argaman would press for the current R. to succeed him since he was his handpicked deputy and both of them have deep experience in operations.
In the end, the current R. prevailed.
Argaman has run the agency since May 2016 and was due to step down this past May, but his term was extended due to the lack of a stable coalition at the time when his term was due to expire.
The current Shin Bet chief was known for dramatically shifting Shin Bet resources and manpower toward the technology and cyber spheres, various daring operations, positive security relations with the Palestinians and for pushing back against incitement from right-wing politicians against the formation of the current coalition.